Despite only filling out a men’s bracket this March Madness season, I was more invested in the women’s final game than the men’s. Turns out, I wasn’t the only one.
The 2024 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship marked a historic moment for women’s sports: it was the most watched game — women’s, men’s, and professional league — since 2019. It averaged 18.7 million viewers and peaked at 24 million, according to Nielsen Fast Nationals Data. The game had about four million more viewers than the men’s championship.
This moment not only celebrates women in sports, but it marks an important milestone in conversations about equal pay in sports. The main argument against equal pay is that women’s sports aren’t as popular as men’s. People argue that since women’s sports are less popular, they bring in less revenue, and therefore should be compensated less. This argument weakens as women’s sports gain coverage and popularity.
This isn’t the first instance of women’s teams outshining men’s on the big screen. The 2019 Women’s FIFA World Cup Final had higher viewership than the 2018 Men’s World Cup Final, but the prize amount awarded to the women’s team was significantly less than the then men’s amount.
President Joe Biden signed the Equal Pay for Team USA Act (EPTUSA) into law in January 2023. EPTUSA requires that athletes representing the United States in global competitions — no matter their gender — receive equal pay. These competitions include the World Cup, Olympics and Paralympics.
While there are more efforts for equal compensation for women’s athletics, pay on the field is indicative of the pay gap in other parts of the United States. According to Pew Research, in 2022 women earned 82 percent of what men earned on average. This gap has only decreased by 2% in the past 20 years.
Gender equality and equal pay can start on the field. Supporting women’s athletics can be a step in creating a more equitable society. It also encourages young girls and grants them more confidence to succeed in sports and other aspects of their lives.
Watch women’s sports and celebrate the athlete’s accomplishments.
